Small victory for the minority

Supervisor Bevan Dufty, a moderate lawmaker and ally of Mayor Gavin Newsom, won a leadership fight at City Hall on Tuesday when he bested Supervisor Chris Daly for chairmanship of the San Francisco County Transportation Authority.

The authority’s governing board, made up of the city’s 11-member Board of Supervisors, oversees the distribution of tens of millions of dollars of funding for transit, roadway and other transportation projects.

Dufty, who is eyeing a run for mayor in 2011, won the chairman’s post on a 6-5 vote. He secured the support of the centrist voting bloc, consisting of supervisors Carmen Chu, Michela Alioto-Pier and Sean Elsbernd. Joining them were Supervisor Sophie Maxwell, a swing vote, and newcomer David Campos, who represents the very liberal Mission-Bernal Heights area.

Siding with Daly, a torchbearer of the board’s more liberal wing, were supervisors Eric Mar, David Chiu, Ross Mirkarimi and John Avalos.